Betel Leaf Cafe @ Grange Road

Ling
July 24, 2012Comment Closed

Betel Leaf Cafe situated on Grange Road in Seaton has been open for a year now and I’ve finally discovered it on one of my rare travels to the other side of town. I was headed up that way for work and little did I know there was a fabulous Vietnamese cafe practically across the road. Really, I was that much of a drone driving to the centre that I actually missed this place on the left. It wasn’t until we broke for lunch and everyone headed there that I opened my little Asian eyes.

It’s a little cafe that seats about 40 people using the earthy colours of green, brown and white giving it a fresh feel. On the side there is the Vietnamese roll and cold roll counter where you can watch them turn those fresh ingredients into something wonderful.

I’ve since been back on two more separate occasions and managed to drag the ever so lazy Mr. Foodie all the way there for this. Their Vietnamese Rolls are fresh, full of ingredients and incredibly flavoursome with the right amount of vegetables to give it crunch. They are also rather well priced at $4.90 for pork or chicken rolls and $5.90 for combination rolls (roast chicken, roast pork and sliced meat).

We also had the chance to try Vietnamese Coffee which reminded me very much of ‘Kopi ping’ (iced local coffee) in Malaysia. I loved the way they served it with the filtering pot above the glass. It was very aromatic and there was something exciting about watching the coffee trickle into the glass. The coffee was strong and good in flavour but definitely bad for the hips with that amount of condensed milk.

Vietnamese coffee

..and then you pour it on ice

Betel Leaf Cafe offers a great variety of dishes with yummy entrees like spring rolls, cold rolls, crispy chicken wings and satay chicken, a good selection of soup noodles, vermicelli noodles, rice dishes and a few Vietnamese favourites including BBQ Quail, Combination rice claypot, salf and pepper flounder and spatchcock chicken with ginger and shallots.

I love rice but I am often incredibly attracted to soup noodles on a menu so over the course of our visits, here’s what I’ve tried so far.

Spicy pork and beef noodle soup – Thinly sliced brisket beef, pork and rice noodles with spring and spanish onions. The soup base was very tasty and perfectly spicy. It was served with bean sprouts, lemon wedge and basil for that extra freshness. I went for the regular serve and it was quite a big serve I was really full by the end of it. Of course I couldn’t resist drinking the delicious soup.

Combination chicken and pork noodle soup – Light broth served with BBQ pork, prawns, squid, fish cakes, quail eggs, rice cellophane noodles, coriander and flat leaf chives. This dish was full of ingredients making it very enjoyable to eat and enjoy with all the little surprises. I love quail eggs and they were cooked well, still a little bit runny inside.

Combination Chicken and Pork Soup $11.90

This place delivers on taste and quality with an affordable price. It definitely has me stopping in for lunch every time I’m on that side of town.